Our SUPER Kid

Bee was chosen as the schools Super Kid for the week. This Honor is based on GREAT attendance and faithful modeling of each month's Character Word: Caring, Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Citizenship and Fairness. Way to go Bee!! We love you!

Cussing at Christmas

Cussing at Christmas

by me:  The Zookeeper

This poem is inspired by what happens to me every year and by how my kids act every year... I just hope we're not the only ones this happens to... (Oh, by the way, this should be rated PG13 for a little explicit language... sorry)

I love Christmas and what it means; our Saviors’ birth, his life and love, no doubt.
So why is it the only time of the year when I seem to cuss and shout?

It all begins when I pull out the totes, the big green ones, you see,
Full of decorations, balls, stockings, candy canes for the blasted tree!

The lights that I so carefully coiled and placed in the popcorn cans,
Somehow during summer months, tied themselves in knots unworthy of my hands.

I gently lift them out, and start to unwind the sparky blouts,
Ooops, a knot, a bigger one, and that’s when I start to shout!

Any poor soul who dares enter the room among flying bulbs and cords
When I’m fighting with the Christmas lights, may hear some very bad words.

"These lights, they worked last year, I swear they did, I saw them!
So why do only half of them work when this year I plug them in?"

Now the floor is littered with lights, and half the hair off my head,
I carefully push in each tiny bulb until 2 a.m. when I quit and go to bed.

The next day finds a fresh resolve to get the lights on the tree,
This time with Christmas music playing, “come on kids, come decorate with me”.

The kids have a horrified look on their face – “uuh, that’s okay mom we’ll pass,”
They go out side to do something, ANYTHING, but be around to hear “jack ass!”

“These stupid lights, make me so mad, *#@%! *%#&, @#$%, I hate them, turn on for pete’s sake!
And then... behold I must have wiggled the cord just right; look, the tree looks great!”

Now with the lights upon the tree, all sparkling, shining steady,
The back door opens just a crack, it’s quiet, then I hear, “mom, you ready?”

“Yes!” I say, “come on inside, the lights are on and shining bright,
But if you bump them you’re gonna die, and guys, nobody fight.”

The kids put up some decorations; they go on without a word,
And then I hear, “hey, I wanted that one, give it back, you ugly turd.”

“I had it first, you big dummy give it back, now look, you broke it!”
Balls smash, ornaments crash; mom says another explicative, “aw @^it!”

And so another tradition goes on, we cuss around the tree,
Fighting and decorating, laughing and heckling, it’s fun, can’t you see?

Now with the tree decorated just right, all cussing is done for the year,
We pull out the boxes with the best decoration of all, to me they are so dear.

It’s the nativity scenes, I have so many, they go all over our home,
We put them on tables, book shelves, the floor to remind us wherever we roam,
That Christmas is about being like Christ, every day, all through the year.
Repent of your cussing, your fighting and meanness, serve others, be kind, spread cheer.

The Prophet reminded us not to stress out over unimportant things of the season,
But focus our time on serving Christ; be with family, think of others, if not, it’s treason.

We should celebrate Christmas all year long, not just in the month of December.
Don’t let things like messing with lights or shopping make you not remember
And turn you into the cussing person, who is stressed out; her mind is gone,
Instead, take a breath, slow down, relax, and let someone else put the lights on.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Hunter was still tired from his 18 hour day (he had 60 hours last week at work) so he cut the end of the Christmas tree off for us, got it in the stand, then went to bed.  We spent an hour fighting with the Christmas lights, got them on the tree, and then got busy decorating.  I was making gingerbread in the kitchen while the kids went at it... and I mean that in several different ways.  I am currently writing a poem or possibly a song about how the only time of the year that I cuss and swear is at Christmas... and why... I'll post it when I finish.

The critters did a great job decorating the tree and cleaning the living room afterwards.  It's probably the prettiest tree we've ever had since it came from a tree farm; unfortunately there are no funny stories to tell about getting the tree this year... just that the tree lot guy said to me when he was putting the tree on the van, "what did you do to your kids today?"  They were all asleep in the van - all 8 of them!  I told him I had threatened them on the way home from going out to lunch if anyone said ANYTHING else I was going to stuff socks in their mouths.  Apparently they chose sleeping over chewing on socks.

After we got done with the tree, Hunter took 3 of  the critters back to their other mom and the other 5 critters and I went to some friends house and watched the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional.  It was so wonderful and helped me realize I should not be stressed out over the unimportant things and to try and relax and enjoy the season... which I intend to.  I will choose 1 day to stress out over shopping.  If I can't find what I want, I am going to wrap the money I would have spent and put it under the tree.  I really enjoyed the beautiful music during the devotional.  I love Christmas Music!!!  Hunter joined us after the fireside and we had gingerbread and whipped cream, and hot chocolate, marshmallows and whipped cream - yummy!  Lemur enjoyed their fun Christmas train.  The critters had fun playing no bears are out tonight outside... bbbrrrr!!! It was like 17 degrees outside. Crazy critters!

Hitting the Mall

I should have posted these backwards - Krispy Kreme first and then the Mall, so scroll down if you want to read about what we did on Saturday morning before you read about what we did Saturday afternoon.  Hunter was doing a well test not far from the Mall, so we took him some Krispy Kreme donuts and then went to the mall.  I was a little nervous about taking all 8 critters to the mall by myself ( I personally hate going to the mall, so I figured since I already dislike going, it won't hurt to take all the critters, right?)  Anyway, the critters were all super good and... it was... sorta... gulp, fun!  Yak was asleep in our stroller and we rented a little "Taxi" for Lemur and away we went.  Martin and Steelhead went off on their own to the sports stores and the rest of us made our way to Build-A-Bear stopping by a few little stores to look at their cool stuff. 

The girls have been saving their money to go to Build-A-Bear and had a wonderful time shopping. 

Are you driving the speed limit?

Monkey and Porcupine rode a "roller coaster" at Cedar Point.

Martin had to join in the fun although his long legs could barely fit...

We took lunch to Hunter and then, although I couldn't believe the critters were hungry after stuffing themselves with donuts earlier, but they were, so we went out to lunch at "Souper Salad" and stuffed ourselves some more.  Then we drove home and bought a Christmas Tree in our little home town.  We usually get a tree up in the mountains and spend the day sledding and having a blast and creating memories, but Hunter had to work from 6:30 a.m. until after midnight and this is the only weekend we will have all 8 critters until after Christmas, so we made the best of it and made some different memories.  For the most part the critters all behaved really well.  I lost it on the way home after some bickering was going on and threatened to stuff their mouths with socks if they didn't quit arguing.  They all fell asleep.  I picked out the Christmas tree by myself because it was so cold outside and the critters were sleeping in the van and didn't really care since we weren't picking one out up in the mountains... all the trees in the tree lot pretty much look the same anyway.  Then we went home and the critters slept, played and I worked for a few hours.  We then cleaned the house (at 8:00 p.m.) and I gave the kids a new movie to watch, and Yak and I went to spend a few hours with Hunter at the well test.  Yak and I sat in the car while he did the testing and then he'd get in the car with us and we could chit chat and eat dinner.  It was an unusal date, but pretty fun.  We ended up getting home at 1:00 a.m.  Hunter was sooooo tired!!  But he still got up and went to church with us Sunday morning.  He is my knight in shining armour out slaying dragons. 

Invasion of Krispy Kreme

Hunter had to work early Saturday morning to do a well test, so I got the critters up after he left and took them to Krispy Kreme for a donut eating contest.  They let me stet up a tab for our farmily and the kids could get one donut at a time and eat as many as they could. 

I remember standing in front of a donut display as a
child having to choose 1 (one) donut and it being so HARD!!!  Even though my critters knew they could eat as many as they wanted, it was still hard for them to choose which one they wanted.  So many yummy choices!

Steelhead said he didn't want any donuts, he just came along to watch everyone else get sick. 

Porcupine and Monkey workin' on a maple bar.

Yak didn't actually eat a donut.  Someone just sat their donut on his lap for the "effect."

One of the critters most favorite thing is to watch the donuts being made.  Oh, Monkey won the contest, by the way - he ate 8 (eight) donuts.  He didn't even get a belly ache!!! I had a sugar headache after one pumpkin spice donut and one gingerbread crumble cake donut.

Thanksgiving Weekend

I forgot to take pictures during Thanksgiving Dinner - but remembered during dessert.  I guess I was still frazzled from the small fire we had while cooking the Turkey.  The heating element went out on the oven and flames started shooting out the door.  It gave Steelhead quite a scare.  The heating element went out just as the turkey was done thank goodness!!  This was Yak's first Thanksgiving.  He liked the pie!

I think Lemur mostly ate whipped cream.

Hunter's piece of pie... actually, I made him an apple crisp because he likes that better than pie... it disappeared!

Tortoise and Hare came for Thanksgiving.  We had lots of fun with them here.

Black Friday:  Zookeeper went shopping for a birthday present and a heating element.  When Hunter, Tortoise and Steelhead got back from the mountains and getting a load of firewood, Hunter put the new heating element in and we baked Porcupine's birthday cake.  He was pretty excited about his new remote controlled vehicle!

Porcupine is nine!

Saturday afternoon was nice and sunny - cold, but that didn't stop the dogs from getting lots of exercise.  They drag EVERYTHING around and chew on it.  Here they are with an axle from a toy truck.

Here they are with Lemur's hat.  I caught Jake sneaking off with Hunter's tape measure...

Yak and Penguin got a little sun too.

The Horse family came over for the afternoon and evening.  Sorry Mare, this is kind of a silly picture of you, but it was the only one that wasn't fuzzy.  Steelhead took some pictures of Colt and Yak who were sitting on the floor laughing their heads off...but all of them turned out blurry :(.  We had fun with the Horse family.  The guys set up the wall tent, we ate lots of good food and played a fun game of Settlers of Catan.